Sibling Rivalry
by RaptorFeet21
Summary: When a new evil threatens Skylands, a old hero must team up with a young, new Portal Master to protect Skylands. The two must travel between the two worlds to prevent the villain's plans from succeeding. But teaming up with old enemies was never part of the plan.
1. A Bald Confrontation

A glanced at my watch. 5:30. Only half an hour left and I am gone. No more whiny kids. No more bossy people. No _Darren_. Ugh, I hate that guy. Half an hour and I am home. The gang would be waiting and we would have our usual hapless shenanigans. Who knows? Maybe today will be the day I go back. It's been so long since I've been surrounded by the magic. Dragons, elves, evil wizards, mystic creatures.

Skylands.

It's been a little over a year since I was last there. Things had begun to settle down. The rift between Earth and Skylands was now constantly opened. Only a select few knew about it though. There were my friends and I, and Ignitor and his crew. They were stationed in Skylands while we were stationed on Earth. With less evil to vanquish and quests to be undertaken, our side of things were much more boring.

Okay, let me start from the beginning. When a mother and a father really love each other…

Wait, not that far.

I guess it all started one mysterious night. I was sucked into this portal from my bed and was transported to Skylands. As the great Portal Master Eon put it, it was "a magical place filled with wonder and adventure". The Skylanders were the protectors of Skylands and came from all sorts of places. Suddenly I was one of them. Somehow, I had been turned into an undead robot named Chop Chop. Goofy name, I know, but it didn't stop the darkness and Kaos to do his evil deeds. Long story short, I made friends, stopped the apocalypse of both Skylands and Earth, and stayed on our wonderful green planet to defend it in case anymore evil popped up.

So to keep my cover, I graduated high school and began working at an Academy Sports. After an adventure like that, customer service was a huge downgrade. But my athletic capabilities made me a good asset so I've been able to keep my job.

Darren, my boss however, was not a huge fan of mine. My co-worker, Chris, became a good friend and enjoyed hearing me and Darren chuck words at each other. Seeing that tiny vein at the top of his temple was one of the few joys I had in life.

I checked my watch again. 5:32. You would think that a huge monologue like that would have taken more time. I headbutted a rack of foam swords out of boredom.

"Ah, Chandler, I see you're lounging around again?" Darren glared at me from the end of the aisle. I jumped.

"What? No, just…rearranging these, uh, swords. Wouldn't want one to fall and injure one of our precious customers." I spouted. I felt kind of embarrassed. Normally I'm quicker on my feet. He just got the drop on me, that's all.

"You are on very thing ice Mr. Choppin. If you were more responsible you could be like the composer himself." Darren said.

"Well if it weren't for being reckless we wouldn't have electricity." I retorted. I saw the puzzled look on his face. Of course it went right over his head. "You know, Ben Franklin and the kite?"

Darren's face didn't move a muscle. "Whatever. You still have a good twenty-five minutes on the clock. I expect you to use them" With that last comment. Darren walked away. I sighed.

"Wow. That was horrible" I turned. Chris was standing right behind me. "I mean it, one of your worst performances yet".

Chris was a stocky guy. He worked towards the football department. After playing it so much in high school and coaching mighty mites, he had a knack for being kind while being knowledgeable in his field. But when it came to everything else, well he fit the jock stereotype perfectly minus bullying nerds. Somehow, he dealt with rude customers calmly and he managed to get me to cool off plenty of times before.

"I leave in twenty-ish minutes, my brain is fried. Give me a break" I teased.

"Oh no, I want nothing but your best. And lemme tell you, a Ben Franklin reference is WEAK"

I grabbed a foam sword. "You disgrace my honor"

Chris grabbed one next to him. "You're going down"

"You know this is a losing battle for you, right?" I said. I twirled my foam sword in circles around me. It came inches from my face but I knew what I was doing. It was like muscle memory from wielding my Arkeyan sword back in Skylands. I drew it at head length. Chris's face was impressed.

"Ah well, it's a foam sword. What are you going to do to me, break my arm?"

"Don't tempt me" I struck with a swipe. Chris managed to block. Seeing his reaction, I slid my sword down his bladed end and nicked his knee. "If this were real, you would need a peg for that leg, Jock-Strap" I called him out by his nickname.

"Dahh, well, how am I supposed to beat a master swordsman with only one leg? You win." Chris said. I looked back at my watch. 5:55. At least time goes by quicker when I'm in a word war with my boss and a sword fight with a bro.

"Close enough, I'm clocking out. Later" I said and tossed my foam sword aside.

* * *

The apartment was a mess as usual. I mean, 4 ex-Skylanders still trying to get used to the real world is not an easy task for one measly human.

Foam was splattered across the kitchen table and oozing onto the tile floor I had just cleaned this morning. Paul Finch a.k.a. Pop Fizz was grabbing test tubes and flasks out the wazzoo. A lanky stick of a person, Paul was the human incarnate of all things fidgety. We tried to keep him out of caffeinated beverages. He had an internship at a chemical engineering lab in the city and they had him doing a lot of last minute calculations which he often brought home.

"Pop, what have I told you thousands of times?" I scolded.

Paul froze and looked at me. Or at least I thought he was looking at me. His fogged-up lab goggles made it hard to tell. "Uhh, never bring work home?"

"No, wait to make things explode for when I get here. You know where the paper towels are" I said noting the clutter.

"I know, I'm on it" Paul said and dumped his equipment in the sink.

I plopped down on the couch. Dan Rangers a.k.a. Dino-Rang was lounging in a mini pillow fort he made while flipping through channels. Dan was a muscular guy with a deep Australian accent and was often the object of all the ladies' (and gentlemen's) attention. Only seemed right for the guy to go into a modeling job.

"Looking for anything specific?" I asked while taking off my sweaty sneakers.

"My commercial is supposed to be airing now but I can't find it!" he groaned.

I chuckled, "Yeah, how did your first filming go?"

"How am I supposed to know? I can't find the bloody ad. Jafa probably cut it cuz he was jealous of mah looks"

"You tell yourself that." I said and transitioned to the laundry room. Sitting on the dryer was Sam Shotley, a.k.a. Snap Shot. He had on a blue CPD t-shirt and gym shorts with ear-buds in. He had about the same body structure and looks as Dan. However, his sense of justice led him to be a part of the police force. He quickly passed police academy and was now working his way up the ranks to hopefully Head Detective. I assumed that he was washing up his uniform from a hard day's work. No matter how many awful people came into Academy Sports, I could never complain in front of Sam.

Sam saw me and nodded. He wasn't much of a talker but he was definitely the most controlled of our little trio. If there was a dumb idea, he was the one who would most likely be against it. He was level headed, and a buzz kill. But he cared and was strong, absolutely someone you want on your side. I grabbed my clean laundry that I had left there before work and headed to my room.

Dumping my laundry in their respective drawers was the easy part. The next ten minutes were what a majority of the population would call "crazy".

The first thing I noticed was Rachel Ball a.k.a. Roller Brawl a.k.a. the last of my crazy roommates a.k.a. the hugest crush I've ever had in the history of existence yet I was living with her? She was standing out on the balcony looking into the city. Rachel was the most headstrong of us and wasn't afraid to call you out. She had dark pink hair that came down in a single braid and often wore button up shirts and jeans. She wasn't super girly and would probably get in a fight for a Klondike bar. She had tattoo sleeves on her arms ranging from artistic trees, to mystical creatures she remembered from Skylands, and even the four emblems of the elements we represented on her left wrist. Earth, Water, Undead, and Magic. The five of us went through some crazy times.

Normally when we start a discussion it's light hearted and she's super easy to talk to. Today was not one of the days.

I opened the sliding door that lead to the wooden ledge. I smiled as I was about to speak. She turned, "Do you think I'm worthless?" The smile vanished.

"Woah, uhh, where is this coming from?" I asked. Rachel turned back towards the city. Her pink braid floated in the wind. There was a long pause.

"I, uhh, I got turned down from another job again today." Rachel stammered.

I put my arm on her shoulder gently. "Don't tell me"

"Yeah, the boxing gym. They said I was 'too gruff' and 'made the customers uncomfortable'. Ironic, right?"

"They do know they promote violence, right?" I got a grin out of her. "Not to sound insensitive, but this isn't the first time you've been rejected from a job. What's actually eating you?"

Rachel sighed. "It's not _just_ the rejections. It's having no place at all. In Skylands I could help people. In Skylands I was somebody. But here I have nothing. You four are the only people I know. At least you guys have jobs. I just need something. I hate being cooped up here in this testosterone infested apartment all day while you guys are making money. I feel like I haven't contributed in a while, you know?"

I wasn't sure what to say. Since Skylands I didn't need anyone besides them. Most people treated me so poorly I didn't want any friends. But she wanted to reach out. I couldn't relate. But I did know what she needed.

"You need a night out. See what's out there, look for something your passionate about. And maybe you just need to have some fun. For a while now you just stayed here and took care of stuff. First, we can't thank you enough for that, but I can't imagine being stuck in this apartment all day. So, when I have a day off we are hanging out." I offered.

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's been a while since all of us have-"

"Actually, I was thinking something along the lines of something made for two…"

Rachel eyed me. Was I crazy? "Just the two of us?"

"I mean it has been a while since we've done something with just the two of us. Like that time, we were virtually on the moon on Flynn's ship?" I reminded her.

"How could I forget." She bit her lip. "Okay, I'm in."

I gave her a quick hug. "So, pizza tonight?" I was set for dinner plans when a quick movement in the street caught my eye. Something…bald. I felt like I had been staring so long my eyes almost popped out.

Rachel tried to find what I was looking for. "What's up?"

I stared more intensely. There seemed to be a green pointy ear poking out from some bushes. I started having this uneasy feeling in my gut.

I went back into my room, grabbed my sword, then hopped on the balcony edge.

"Chop Chop, what are you doing?" Rachel asked me.

I had become so focused on the moving target I had almost forgotten about Rachel, which never happens.

"Sorry, I uhh, need to check something out. Order whatever you want." I told her. Then I grabbed the down spout of the gutter and slid down to ground level. The rustling in the bushes started to become violent. I heard slight laughter that sounded all too familiar.

I turned the corner and the absolute last two people I thought I would ever see on Earth where right there. In all his bald and tiny glory was Kaos. And his green butler Glumshanks stood by him.

We locked stares. I tried to rack my brain for something to say. Something like, oh I don't know, _WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH WOULD HIS UGLY FACE BE HERE._ You know, something calm and collected like that.

Glumshanks lifted his hand to his mouth. "Maybe if we don't move, he won't see us?"

"KAOS?!" I finally got out.

The tiny evil doer pounded on Glumshank's chest evilly. "You fool! YOU moved and he saw us! Now you've done it. When this is over I am sending you to your DOOM"

I grabbed Kaos by the shirt and lifted him. "Alright dirtbag, give me one reason I shouldn't kick your butt so hard I make another rift right into the outlands?"

"Gah, let go of my you small minded buffoon!"

"Alright, that's it"

"Woah! Bella!"

"Who?"

As if on cue for Kaos, I got tackled from the side, making me drop Kaos. The person got off me and stood at Kaos' side. They wore a grey hoodie, bright purple pants, and…were those light up Sketchers?

"Sorry for you, but now I have two butts that need whooping" I said drawing my sword.

The person drew back their hood revealing…a girl? She couldn't have been older than 15 at the most. She had on weird purple glasses and was of average height. She threw her hands in the air. "Wait! I'm so sorry! NO TROUBLE! That is what I have been into, why do you ask. WHAT ARE YOU A COP. No you're not a cop. And even if you were obviously you're not on duty so you can't do anything. Hehe, doodie"

"SILENCE! YOU IDIOT!" Kaos groaned at who I assume was Bella.

Bella snorted "HA, oh Kaos you sure are loud"

"Uhh, miss, the matter at hand" Glumshanks pointed back at me.

Trying to take in the site, I realized that I had gripped my sword so tight the veins in my hand almost burst.

"Ahh! Don't shoot" the girl stammered again.

"…Bella is it?" I choked through gritted teeth.

"Yep"

"Do you know who this is?" I nodded at Kaos.

"Yep"

"Would you care to tell my why…how…when…I mean, of all the people to protect" I had so many questions. I had to generalize. "Would you care to explain to me what you're doing?"

Bella gave a small chuckle. "Oh boy, do I have a story for you."


	2. Of Monsters and Crazy Guys With Swords

Bella's POV

Heya! So, you're probably wondering what the heck happened before to lead to something like this. And for those of you who aren't, here's a bonus!

So, I was in Skylands, just hanging out, practicing magic, when Master Eon called me over. He explained that, because of a big threat in Skylands (more on that later), I had to go get some Skylanders placed on Earth. He listed off the names, but the one that really stood out was Chop Chop's name.

It was Chandler Choppin.

I mean, it's an interesting name. It caught my attention. You don't meet many people named Chandler, ya know.

Anyway, back to the story. Eon also assigned Kaos and Glumshanks (more on why they're here later) to come down to Earth with me. No problem. Kaos and I are buddies! Even if he denies it. He just doesn't want to be perceived as soft by the villain community. At least, that's what I think. I could be wrong.

So, we went down to Earth to the assigned location, and tried to find Chandler. We searched Starbucks, GameStop, Hot Topic, the pizza place, and this one cool Walmart. Nothing.

And then it found us.

* * *

"This is hopeless! We won't find him today! Let's just _go home!_ "

Kaos flung his arms up into the air in exasperation. We were walking down the street, and still looking for Chandler and his friends. I turned to him.

"No way. We have to at least get a _lead_ on him," I explained. Kaos grumbled and crossed his arms. Somewhere far away, a car alarm went off. Glumshanks looked at me worriedly. Not that I'm the most relaxed person in the world, but I always think Glummy (a name I call Glumshanks) worries too much. He really should relax sometimes. Even if I'm not the one to talk.

"Miss Bella, maybe we should go home after all. I mean, it's getting late, and..." he trailed off, before I grabbed his hand.

"Glummy, I've told you a thousand times, just call me Bella," I began, smiling. "And don't worry! Remember, you have two Portal Masters with ya! We'll be fine!"

"I hope so," Glumshanks mumbled. Another car alarm went off, a bit closer. A few minutes later, a third car alarm went off. Kaos growled.

"Ugh, what's causing that _terrible_ noise! Whoever is causing this shall face the wrath of The Mighty and All-Powerful Kaos!" the small man shouted. He stormed off towards the source of the noise. Glumshanks darted after his master.

"Sir! Wait! We don't know what's causing this! It could be dangerous!" he shouted. I followed them, shouting for them to wait up. Halfway there, another car alarm went off. A few minutes later, Kaos and Glumshanks ran by me, screaming. I grabbed Kaos, kneeling down to his height.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Kaos' eyes were wide and terrified.

"Big! Big!" he shouted, right before wrenching himself out of my grasp and continuing his sprint. Confused, I tried to figure out what he meant by _big_. While I was, another car alarm went off.

Wait.

The car alarm went off before Kaos and Glumshanks ran away.

Turning around, I looked at the car...and nearly screamed myself.

Standing on the hood of a blue Honda Civic, which was a few feet away, was a giant, hulking mass of pure shadow. It had four purple, glittering eyes and dark purple spikes on its arms. Upon closer examination, I noticed it's spikes and eyes were made of Petrified Darkness. It sniffed the car, then looked up. It didn't seem to see me. Slowly, I backed away from the shadow-made demon.

I got a foot away before it looked straight at me and roared. I screamed. It roared. I screamed. This went on for a while, before it jumped off the car hood and started running. I ran off, not looking behind me. Why had it seen me when it did? Looking down, I saw my light-up Sketchers. Having a theory on why it saw me, I turned into a nearby alley. Slamming against the wall, I caught my breath and turned to look at the beast.

There it was, in all its giant beastliness. It sniffed the air a few times, then turned to the alley. I pressed myself against the wall, praying my sneakers weren't flashing. A few seconds later, then it snorted and lumbered away, maybe to jump on more cars.

I sighed in relief. It was gone. I sat there for a while, trying to slow my heart rate, when I heard shouting. Among the shouting were two words from Kaos.

"Woah! Bella!"

I froze. The monster had found them! Instinctively, I got up, ran, and tackled whatever or whoever was there. When I opened my eyes, I saw I had tackled an adult male.

Whoops.

Getting up, he then took out his sword (oh, forgot to mention he had a sword), and aimed it at us. And I'm sorry if I sounded stupid with my rambling, but I tend to ramble when in a bad situation. And I'm pretty sure being threatened with a sharp, deadly object is bad.

I had to explain what had happened to the man I had tackled. He calmed down, and asked me what I was doing.

* * *

"...And that's what happened before we met!"

I smiled at the man wielding a sword. After a few seconds, he lowered his weapon.

"...You didn't have to be that specific." he finally replied. I blinked.

"Well, you did ask me what I was doing, so I decided to go specific on the details," I reasoned. The man snorted.

"It wasn't _that_ important to know the type of car this thing was on," he retorted. I sighed.

"Anyways, this thing is apparently extremely sensitive to light, so you might want to keep unnecessarily bright lights off," I explained. The man blinked, then nodded.

"Good to know," he replied. An awkward silence ensued, up until I broke it.

"So, what's your name?" I inquired. The man gave me a look.

"Chandler," he simply replied. I chuckled.

"Heh, that's an interesting..." I trailed off, right before my eyes widened.

Chandler. Hatred of Kaos. Oh my gosh, _the sword_.

This was him.

"Holy Opal arrows," I whispered. Chandler gave me a funny look.

"What?" Glumshanks asked. I didn't answer, and proceeded to hug him.

"Holy snickerdoodles on Sugilite's flail, I found you!" I shouted gleefully and instinctively wrapped my arms around him. Chandler, apparently not used to hugs from strangers, tried to pull me off. Behind me, Kaos snickered at the scene taking place in front of him. Chandler glared at him, before successfully unwrapping my arms from his waist.

"Wait, this is him?!" Kaos asked, confused. I nodded, then turned to Chandler.

"Yep! Eon wants me to bring you to Skylands and I thought it would take days to find you but _mother of Steven Quartz Universe_ we found you _today_!" I rambled, (I also ramble when I'm happy) going for another hug, though Glumshanks held me back. Chandler blinked a couple of times.

"Okay, who is Steven Quartz Universe?" the humanized Skylander asked. Just as I was about to explain the basis of Steven Universe and why it's the best show ever, I hear something loud nearby, making me wince.

Something loud that sounded like a _car alarm_.

I froze. "Wuh oh," I muttered. Chandler blinked.

"What does _wuh oh_ mean? Because I can gurantee _wuh oh_ never means a good thing." He glanced behind me, and held up his sword again. Kaos and Glumshank looked like they were on the verge of panic, and Kaos even hid behind Glumshanks!

Fearing the worst, I turned around, and-yep, there it was.

Standing on a truck hood, in all his shadowy glory, was the beast that had been chasing Glumshanks, Kaos and I earlier.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Chandler whisper-shouted to me. I turned to him.

"That," I informed Chandler, "would be the thing that tried to kill us."

 **What's up guys. This is Raptor. This is just a collaborative project I've been working on with Spyrorocks398. All the chapters from Chop Chop's POV will be written by me and the chapters from Bella's is from him. I hope you guys like this story as much as we love writing it!**


	3. Kaos Takes Cardio

**Chop Chop's POV**

So many questions flooded my mind like a ten-ton anvil crashing into my neurons. For example, "WHY IS THERE A SHADOW MONSTER CHASING YOU". You know, calm questions like that. But for the time being one over boding instinct was clear. I finally got to be in a real fight.

"Stand back Bella. I've got this" I said with a definite cocky tone in my voice. I dashed forward, sword in hand.

"Chandler, wait!" Bella tried to warn. But it was too late. The shadow creature backhanded me slamming me into a nearby building. My back created a crater in the wall with cracks webbing between the bricks. My vision blurred, but I could clearly see the shadow creature creep towards me. The black claws grasped my throat and pulled me out of the wall. A chilling growl seeped from its mouth. The four, purple, almost spider-like eyes tried to strike fear in me. But I've faced much scarier.

"Wow, you are ugly" I managed to smirk. Clearly my comment did not please Mr. Shadow thing. He roared and slammed my face into the concrete. "Ow" I winced. This was not going as smoothly as the fights I was used to in Skylands. To be fair, in Skylands I was part undead, part robot and all awesome. But now I was just a human with a sword trying to fight the same kind of magic-

Magic of course. I couldn't believe what I was about to say.

"Kaos! Little help here!" I said. The monster dragged me across the street and threw me into a tree. My body collided into branches and brambles, shattering the trees limbs as well as a couple of my own. I finally stopped, entangled in the foliage.

"What, me help one of the Skylosers? I am entertained as an emperor should be! Maybe I should make this one of my minions" Kaos chuckled evilly. That's when I decided that when all this was over, I was going to kill him.

Glumshanks tapped Kaos' shoulders. "Master, we need him to get rid of you-know-who"

"Ugh, curses. Mark my words _Chandler_ if I weren't in such a bind" Kaos raised his hands and blasted the shadow creature with red lightining. The shadow beast turned to Kaos without flinching. The dark portal master tensed. "I suppose this is what I get for trying to be good". Then he and Glumshanks turned and bolted towards a nearby minivan to hide. The monster raced after them in a quick pursuit like a gorilla after spotting a cave of bananas.

Bella was frozen in place. She was shaking in fear and if we were going to get out of this mess she needed to snap out of it. Sure, my body ached all over, but there was no way I was letting this kid get hurt. "Okay Chop Chop, pull it together" I moaned. I slashed the branches until I thudded to the ground. As I rubbed my head I jogged over to Bella (what? I was in no hurry to save Kaos).

"Bella, I need you here. You're a portal master. Use that Skylands magic of yours" I said.

She locked eyes with mine. "This is way more intense than I expected"

"Well you better get used to it because until we finish our mission we're getting this every day."

"But what if I can't-"

"Nope. Look, I'm going to go keep getting my butt handed to me. You figure out a way to take this down. Deal?" I put my hand out.

Bella gave a small chuckle. At least I was getting through. "Deal" she shook my hand.

I nodded and chased after the shadow monster. "Hey, big dark and hideous!" I shouted.

That's when I finally noticed something. I could not see at all. The street lights had been taken out. Glass cluttered the light poles. Car alarms were going off out the wazzoo. Along with the bleeps and blares of the street, I could also here the screams of Kaos and Glumshanks and the roars of the shadow monster. Now normally I'm not afraid of the dark, but a completely dark road with a monster on the loose, I was inches from soiling myself. Bella was behind me following closely.

"Umm, Bella, anyway you can provide some light for us?" I asked.

"Sorry. I haven't learned a spell like that yet" she responded.

 _Sounds about right_ I thought. Then I had an idea. "Bella give me your shoes"

"Umm, what?" she gasped, which was expected.

"Your shoes. They're light up." I said.

"Not very brightly"

"It's more than there is now"

"But I like walking"

"And I like living. Shoes. Now."

Bella grumbled but reluctantly she removed her Sketchers and handed them to me. I clapped them together making pink and blue LED's shimmer in the darkness. I could only see a couple feet in front of me but I could clearly hear a grumble in the distance. I clapped the shoes together again to give myself more light. The grumbling became louder along with some high-pitched squeals.

"BEEEELLLLLAAAA!" the voice of Kaos screamed as his bald head zoomed past us. Glumshanks followed in the same fashion.

"That can't be good" Bella said. The lights on her shoes went out a second time.

"Man I wish these would just stay on permanently." I said and clapped the shoes together. The pink and blue lights flashed in front of me with a mix of purple that did not come from the shoes. The rumble felt as if it was right in front of my face

"Umm, Chandler?"

"Yes Bella?"

"The monster is right in front of your face"

"Yup"

The purple eyes of the monster glared me down. A deep fear grew inside me, like a blot of black ink spreading on a sheet of paper. The monster grabbed my neck and lifted me. My feet dangled inches from the ground like ragdolls. Its grip tightened as I gasped. _What an unpleasant way to die_ I thought. My arms went limp and my vision blurred. Darkness seeped into my eyesight. Suddenly the creature let go and I collapsed on the ground. The beast fell backwards in a bluish light. Movement caught my eye as I laid breathing heavily. Then I passed out.

I woke up on my couch in the apartment. The vision on my left side was covered by a swollen eye. My cheek felt numb and there was a frigid feeling on my arm. I blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the light. Surrounding me were my friends. Paul, Dan, Sam, and Rachel were tending to my wounds. I shifted slightly.

"Oh, he's awake!" Paul spoke.

"Why are you so loud?" I grimaced.

"And he's normal" Paul added.

I attempted to sit up, but was stopped by the pain in my arm. I winced and fell back down. "Ah Jesus, what happened?"

"That monster nearly suffocated you to death" said a voice. It didn't belong to any of my roommates. I glanced to the side and sitting in a chair was Bella. "I-I'm really sorry" she said softly. Guilt flooded her face. "You took a beating and there was nothing I could do".

I looked back up towards the ceiling. "Less than an hour of knowing you and we're already to the sappy stuff"

Bella sniffed. "What?"

I nodded to my friends, asking them to give us a minute. They all went to their respective rooms. "Listen kid, that was not the first time I've gotten the snot beat out of me, by monster or human. And from the sound of what you've gotten yourself into it won't be the last. But no matter what I'll get back up, you can be sure of that. So what I need from you is to try"

"Try?"

"You're a portal master. That makes you stronger than any Skylander in existence. So if you try to use your powers, they won't fail you. Eon chose you for a reason. So as much as the old man confuses me, he's never wrong."

Bella grabbed my hand. "Thank you Chandler"

"Chop Chop"

"Huh?"

"Well we're going back to Skylands aren't we?" I asked. Bella nodded. "If we're going back I'm getting my robot body back. In when I'm a robot, use my Skylander name"

Bella nodded. "You know I can't tell which one is worse?"

It was my turn to be confused. "What one is worse?"

"Your real name, Chandler Choppin, or your Skylander name"

"Woah woah, easy with the hostility" I said. "Wait a second, where's Kaos?"

Bella laughed. "Rachel!?" she called. Rachel opened her door. Glumshanks and Kaos walked out. Both of them had wide eyes in terror.

"Dark, so very dark" Kaos squealed.

"Master, why did you ever like her?" Glumshanks questioned.

"I don't know"" Kaos said and then collapsed on the ground.


	4. I Fight A Monster With Armed Strangers

So, I bet all of you read about that big fight, Chandler getting his butt kicked, the mention of a mysterious 'you-know-who'...and me panicking. Even without mind reading, I can practically hear your thoughts;

 _"But Bella, you have magic! You could've fought that thing off! You have to be able to fight, right? Eon chose you for a reason!"_

Yeah, here's the thing; _I am not a fighter_. The only normal self-defense moves I know are from the Internet and my mom. I am not an athlete. Eon recognizes that, and he works on my magic instead of forcing me to try something I'm not good at. I'm just learning combat spells, among other things.

Another thing; I'm not good with loud noises. There were car alarms going off everywhere, and it was just too much for me at the moment.

I got overwhelmed. Sue me.

I know I should've killed it. That I should've been a Portal Master worthy of her powers. But I couldn't. I was scared to even get _near_ it. You'd be too, if you heard all the recent stories surrounding these things...

Anyway, I'm getting off-track.

So, Chandler's side of the fight ends with him getting KO'd by Mr. Nightmare Thing. Now, here's what happened _after_ the KO.

So, it was pretty dark out. Chandler laid as limp as a rag doll on the ground. And the beast...

The beast wasn't moving. It was frozen.

I glanced behind me, and Kaos was using his magic. A blue light was engulfing his hands.

"Kaos! What are you doing?!" I shouted to him. The smaller Portal Master looked at me.

"Look, I don't like him. We _all_ know that. But he's literally our only chance at victory. You-know-who isn't going to wait for another Skylander to waltz in and save the world. So, do us all a favor and save him so she doesn't take over Skylands! That's _my_ job!" Kaos replied. I blinked, then nodded. Outstretching my hands, I used the one spell I knew wouldn't fail me. My favorite spell.

The air around Chandler shimmered for a few moments, then a purple bubble popped up to defend him from harm. Kaos snorted.

"Seriously? _That_ old spell again? It's dumb," he told me. I turned to face him.

"It's effective," I retorted. Kaos rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his hands stopped glowing. The beast got up, shook itself, and charged towards Chandler like a bull after a red cloth.

As soon as its head hit the bubble, the bubble flew through the air, hit a wall, and majestically soared over our heads. I took a moment to appreciate the sight right before it landed in an oak tree. It rested there, so I assumed it would stay put. Then, I turned my attention to the monster. Grabbing my shoes, I put them on and stomped my feet to get the monster's attention. Sensing the light, it whipped around to face me.

"Hey, Mr. Shadow Boy! Over here!" I shouted. Roaring, it charged like a ticked off moose after your friend tries to tame it (Don't ask me how I know what this looks like; That is a story I'm not allowed to tell anyone). I let magical energy build up in my hands, praying that this would actually work.

As soon as he hit my hands, we exploded.

You know how grass looks so nice and soft? How you could just take a nice, long nap in the sunshine? Yeah, it's not as soft when you hit it at roughly a couple dozen miles per hour.

Groaning, I pushed myself to my feet and looked up. The monster was just as dazed as I was. It hissed, and covered its eyes. I honestly didn't blame it. I was still seeing little flecks of color at the edges of my vision. Slowly, it uncovered its eyes, and growled. Squealing, I backed up into a nearby tree. What was I thinking? I couldn't do this! The beast roared, and charged at me only to be stopped by a boomerang to the head.

It comically fell to the ground, got up, then looked around like, _what the heck_ was that? I shrugged at it in response.

"Hey! Kid!"

I looked over to my right. Over by the broken street lights were four outlines. I glanced towards Kaos.

"Hey, buddy? Mind giving me some light?" I asked him. Kaos's hand poked out from behind the mini van, and the street lamps lit up with a bluish light. I saw the features of the four outlines.

One was tall and lanky, one was the only girl in the group, and the other two were muscular. They didn't seem freaked out, and one of them was holding a boomerang.

I had found the other Skylanders.

"Hey! Guys!" I shouted, waving my arms over my head. Kaos peeked out from behind the minivan, Glumshanks soon following.

"Holy crow! What is _that_?!" The lanky one shouted, pointing to the beast. The beast roared. The girl, who I'm pretty sure is Roller Brawl, looked at Kaos, still hiding behind the minivan, then scowled.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," she muttered, glaring at the smaller Portal Master. The other Skylanders followed her gaze, then assumed her glare. I clapped my hands.

"Um, guys? Monster?!" I shouted, gesturing to the beast. It had recovered its wits, and was now glaring daggers at us, pawing the ground. The Skylanders glanced up.

"We'll deal with Kaos later," one of the buffer ones reasoned. He then pulled out a bow and arrow. He was probably Snap Shot.

"Wait! Don't!" I shouted, trying to stop him. Too late.

He took aim, and fired the arrow, hitting the beast right between the eyes.

The beast casually brushed away the arrow as though it was a pebble. It roared and charged at us. We all dove out of the way of the rampaging beast. Snap Shot's head whipped towards me.

"Why didn't that work?" He shouted to me. I met his gaze.

"I was about to tell you! Physical weapons or force can't hurt it!" I replied. Roller Brawl got to her feet and braced herself.

"Then what _can_ hurt it?!" She asked me. The beast charged for her, and she slid out of the way.

"Well, it doesn't like light," I informed her. The beast was going to charge, and I blasted it with magic. It shrieked and rubbed its face, a dark purple burn mark on its forehead. I gestured to the beast. Roller Brawl blinked, then nodded.

"Okay, light. How do we get light?" she murmured, mostly to herself. The lanky one dug around and his backpack, and pulled out a flask of something yellow. He must have been Pop Fizz.

"Well, this potion is supposed to explode into light, but I haven't tested it yet," he informed us. Snap Shot nodded.

"It'll have to work," he replied. Then, Snap Shot turned to me. "Think you can help distract it?" I blinked.

"Yeah, I guess," I replied. He nodded.

"Good, 'cause I've got a plan," he informed me. Snap Shot whispered he plan into my ear. The basis; Roller Brawl, Dino Rang, and I would distract it so Pop Fizz could lob a potion down its throat. Then, he turned around. "Dan! Rachel! Ready to help out the kid?"

"Yeah!" Two figures came over, Roller Brawl skating, and Dino Rang running. Dino Rang, who I assumed was Dan, grinned.

"Ready, kid?" He asked. I grinned, pumping a fist.

"Heck yeah!" I shouted enthusiastically. Roller Brawl grinned.

"That's what I like to hear!" she cheered. She then proceeded to turn to the beast. "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

The beast turned at the sound of her voice. To help the beast see where he was going, I stomped my feet. Seeing my lights, it roared and charged at us. Grabbing my wrist, Roller Brawl darted out of the way, just as the beast proceeded to slam into a wall. Growling, it lumbered towards us. Roller Brawl glanced at me, smiled, then turned to Dino Rang.

"Dan! Now!" she shouted. Dino Rang nodded, then threw a boomerang from where he was standing on the left. It hit the side of the beast's head. It roared, and turned towards Dino Rang. That's when Roller Brawl and I started running around it, shouting. It then turned towards us. Dino Rang used this chance to throw his boomerang again.

"Yeah! How's that feel, ya big beastie?!" he shouted. Snap Shot took this as his cue to start firing arrows from the right. Combined with Roller Brawl and I running in circles, it was pretty disorienting. The monster turned right, left, and back again, until, at the peak of its frustration, it opened its mouth and roared.

"Paul! Now!" Snap Shot shouted. Pop Fizz nodded, then darted towards the beast. Pulling his arm back, the man threw the sunshine-colored potion into the mouth of the beast.

As soon as the beast's mouth closed, it seemed to sense the potion in its mouth, and swallowed. We waited for something to happen. Then, after what seemed like forever in my panicked state of mind, the beast inflated like a balloon. Beams of light began shooting out of it. Its eyes widened, probably thinking, (oh crud!)

Then it blew up.

The explosion was actually kind of pretty. The previously mentioned beams of light were followed by flecks of purple sparkles. I caught one on my finger. From the way it glittered, I assumed it was a piece of the Petrified Darkness that made the beast.

"...That was the coolest thing I've ever seen," Pop Fizz stated, staring at the floating purple sparkles.

Dino Rang nodded. "Same," he mumbled. Roller Brawl gazed at the sparkles, shook her head, then turned to Kaos.

"So, it looks like one of your minions got a little out of control, hm Kaos?" she said, glaring at the small man. The others followed her gaze, glaring as well. Pop Fizz started smacking his fist with his palm.

"Glumshanks!" Kaos squealed, hiding behind his butler. Glumshanks put up his hands, looking afraid. I darted over and put myself between the two groups.

"Wait! Stop! Don't attack him!" I shouted, throwing out my arms. Roller Brawl blinked, looking confused.

"What the heck, kid?! Kaos's minion just-!"

"It wasn't Kaos! That wasn't his minion!" I interrupted. Kaos nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! Believe the foolish Poser Master!" he shouted. Roller Brawl blinked.

"Poser...you mean Portal Master?" she asked.

"Yes, whatever!"

Snap Shot glanced between the spot where the monster once stood, Kaos, and me. He sighed, and looked at me.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked me. I blinked.

"Bella," I replied. There was a brief silence, then Snap Shot nodded.

"Okay, Bella. Mind telling us what happened?" he inquired. I nodded, and I explained what happened before they arrived. All the while, Snap Shot nodded, and asked me to expand on a part of the story he didn't understand. As I ended with the fight, he looked down, a look of concentration on his face. All was silent for a while, then Dino Rang spoke up.

"Well, what do we do now? We can't exactly go to Skylands without a Portal, and I don't think Bella has one with her," he questioned. Snap Shot glanced back at him, then turned to face the group.

"We'll get back to the apartment, try and heal Chandler, and figure out a plan from there. Roller Brawl, go get Kaos and Glumshanks," he told us. The others nodded, stating their agreement with his plan.

"Got it. I'll make sure they don't escape," she said somewhat threateningly. Kaos squealed, trying to hide behind the car even more.

As all this was happening around me, I looked down at my feet.

 _You could've saved him. You didn't, and all because you were too scared of something that you could've stopped. You're a pathetic coward. You don't deserve to be a Portal Master. You'll never be good enough._

"Hey, kid? You okay?"

I looked up. Dino Rang was standing in front of me. I forced a smile on my face.

"Yeah, totally," I lied. No need to burden him. Dino Rang's expression didn't change, but he walked towards the others.

"Hey, where did you put Chandler, Bella?" Roller Brawl spoke up, now with Kaos and Roller Brawl. I turned to her.

"Up a tree," I replied. Roller Brawl took on a confused expression.

"What?" the girl asked. That's when I heard the rustling noises. We all turned towards the oak, just as the branches holding Chandler broke. The bubble bounced, and popped. Then Chandler landed, face down, on top of Kaos. There was a beat of silence, before Pop Fizz spoke up;

"Well, that's convenient."

Snap Shot picked up Chandler and gently held him bridal style. Roller Brawl grabbed both Kaos and Glumshanks roughly. Dino Rang gave me one last glance, then turned to the others. We all began walking towards the apartment where the group lived.

* * *

"...And that's how you got back to the apartment."

Everyone had come out of their rooms at this point. We all sat in silence for a while. Then, Chandler finally spoke up.

"How did you guys know what was happening? It was pitch black down there," he asked. Roller Brawl shrugged.

"We heard the car alarms and the roaring," she stated. Chandler nodded. I spoke up.

"Welp, Eon should be trying to contact us anytime now," I stated. Everyone turned to me.

"Wait, what?" Pop Fizz asked. I turned to him.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that part. Yeah, Eon's going to try and contact us to see where we can find a Portal to Skylands." I explained. At this point, Kaos had regained consciousness. He snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh, I forgot about that. Why can't we just skip the chat and go to Skylands right now? It's gonna be pointless. We already _know_ what's going on," he muttered. Roller Brawl, having heard him, turned to him.

"Some of us have no idea what's happening. So, if Master Eon is going to contact us, then we should be there so _we know what we're doing_ ," she stated, glaring. Kaos squealed and frantically scuttled away from her. Chandler chuckled at this scene, then proceeded to wince. Pop Fizz took note of this.

"Don't worry, bud. I'm gonna go get a healing potion for you, okay?" he told Chandler. Chandler nodded.

"Thanks," he replied. Pop Fizz simply saluted and walked into the kitchen. After a while, Chandler apparently decided to make conversation.

"So, thanks for keeping me safe from the monster. That spell seems pretty impressive," he said. I blinked.

"Thanks," I replied, flattered. After that, I giggled at an afterthought. Chandler raised an eyebrow at me.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me. I looked at him.

"Well, it's just...when you landed, it looked like you were kissing Kaos," I said, finally breaking into laughter at the end. Chandler let out a few chuckles himself.

Suddenly Chandler's eyes widened. "Please tell me you're joking?" I nodded my head _no._ That is absolutely DISGUSTING"

"Oh, ha ha. You're a comedy genius," he deadpanned. Chandler was about to retort, but the TV turned on and began playing static. We all jumped, startled by the sudden noise. Just then, Pop Fizz walked in carrying a potion.

"Hey, guys! I finally found it, and as soon as Chandler drinks this, he'll practically be-," he began, before stopping as he saw the static. As we all watched intently for something to happen, I noticed Pop Fizz mechanically hand Chandler the healing potion. The Undead Skylander sipped the potion as the static settled into a picture.

"Is that...Master Eon?" he mumbled to himself. Indeed, it was Master Eon. When he finally seemed to notice us, he somehow seemed relieved and panicked at the same time.

"Bella! You found them, you made it, and you're safe and-," he babbled, before going off on a babbling rant about how I was safe and the Skylanders were safe and everyone was safe. I waved to him.

"Hi, Master Eon!" I said, grinning. It was good to see my teacher. Chandler seemed intrigued.

"Man, never thought he'd be talking to us through the TV," he stated. At that, Eon turned to the Undead Skylander.

"It's simple, really. The screen is made of glass, while the mirror is also made of glass. So, while trying to establish a two-way connection-" he explained, before Kaos interrupted.

"Yeah, I'm sure this chat would be downright _fascinating_ at another time, but right now, don't you have some big announcement or something?" he said, waving his hand as though dismissing someone unimportant. Roller Brawl fixed him with a glare that could kill, but Eon's eyes widened.

"Kaos is correct! I'm preparing to send down two Skylanders as we speak! They both have fire-based attacks so you won't have to get close to the beasts. They don't have human forms, but I've rigged illusions so they won't be noticed," he babbled nervously, leaning to reveal the two Skylanders. One was a purple dragon, the other a full suit of knight armor that blazed on the inside. I brightened up, recognizing the two instantly.

"Spyro! Ignitor!" I exclaimed happily. The two took notice of me, both grinning.

"Hey, kiddo! How's it going?" he asked, grinning. Spyro nodded.

"Great to see you Bella! And-is that Pop Fizz?! Hey, Pop Fizz! How are you doing?" he said, waving. Pop Fizz waved back.

"Pretty good, buddy. Just fought a monster. Nothing big," he replied nonchalantly. Spyro nodded.

Chandler seemed to recognize Ignitor as well. "Hey Kyle! You helping us out again?"

"Quite so old chap!" Ignitor boomed.

"Looks like you're getting used to the voice still" Chandler mentioned.

Meanwhile, Eon was a rambling mess. He was talking about how Spyro and Ignitor would lead us to the Portal, how I'd have to activate it (even though we went over it several times), that Flynn would be there when we landed, etc. I tried to get his attention, trying to find out why he was in such a panic, when a fourth voice spoke up.

"Master Eon, sir, maybe you should take some deep breaths and tell them what you saw," the voice suggested. I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hugo!" I said, grinning. There was a moment of silence, then Hugo appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Miss Bella. It's nice to see you," he said. I smiled at him. Meanwhile, Eon had calmed down, still doing deep breaths. After he was done, he spoke up.

"Alright, alright. I was scanning the planet for threats, when I saw...this," he said, a grave seriousness in his voice. He projected a hologram from the palm of his hand. I gasped at what I saw.

In the holographic picture, there were three figures. Two of the figures were shadow beasts like the one me and Chandler fought. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him flinch. But those weren't the worst of the bunch.

Standing between the male was a gray furred werewolf. He wore a purple tank top that revealed his slightly muscular arms, black shorts, and grey work boots. Unfortunately, I had heard about him, one of her most trusted strategists.

"It can't be him," I mumbled, refusing to believe it at first. Kaos seemed just as shocked as I was. The others...well, they were just confused.

"Hold up. Who is this guy?" Rachel asked. I turned to her.

"His name is Fang. He's a trusted planner of hers. Which means..." I trailed off, turning to Eon, hoping I was wrong. Unfortunately, Eon nodded, a serious look on his face.

"Indeed. It means exactly what I've feared."

"What, exactly, does it mean?" Chandler asked. Eon turned to him, his grim expression not changing a bit.

"It means Eris is trying to find you and bring you to her."


End file.
